by Ivy Jordan
“You just come back here, think you can take Alyssa without a fight? You’re full of shit,” he shouted.
“I don’t want to fight, but you do need to get back in your truck and go home,” I ordered.
“Fuck you, SEAL boy,” Bruce sneered.
“Back in your truck,” I ordered as he moved towards me.
His steps were off balance, and I knew there was a good chance he’d fall before he got to me, but I wasn’t banking on it.
I gripped my phone tightly in my hand, reported my address to the person on the other end of the phone, and readied myself to fight the belligerent bull that was stumbling towards me.
“You’re drunk; this isn’t going to end well for you,” I warned.
It didn’t stop him. He continued towards me, this time with more aggression and speed. He swung, I ducked, and he nearly fell as he rebalanced himself.
His arm lifted again, and I knew he was coming back in for more. I was backed against the porch post, nowhere to go. I had no choice but to defend myself.
I swung my leg out in front of me as he took a step, sweeping him from his feet and sending him to the ground.
He gripped my ankle, pulling me to my knees and causing me to dirty my pants as I pulled away to stand back up.
“Great, now I have to change before my date with Alyssa,” I smirked.
“Fuck you,” he grumbled, rolling over and working himself back to his feet.
He lunged towards me just as the red lights turned onto my street. His fist landed, but only grazed my chin as I was distracted by the lights. I reached out, gripped his thick neck, squeezed tightly, and then brought my foot back under him, sweeping him off his feet once again.
By the time the cops pulled up in front of my house, Bruce was back up and coming at me again.
Two officers tackled him, cuffed him, and then hauled him to the back of the cruiser.
Alyssa pulled up with Holly, her face pale as she walked onto the scene. She looked at Bruce’s truck and then at my face.
“What happened?” she asked, her voice shaken.
“He just showed up,” I sighed, relieved to see her.
“So you fought him?” she asked, looking me directly in the eyes.
“I had to defend myself,” I argued.
She shook her head.
“I don’t like this. You could’ve called the cops. You didn’t have to come outside,” she pointed out, her tone filled with anger and disappointment.
“I was defending myself,” I called out to her as she walked away.
“Look at him, Liam. You’ve acted like a monster, not someone I want to spend my life with, someone that I want around my daughter,” she screeched, and then got in her car, driving away with our daughter.
I was pissed, so pissed that I couldn’t even talk to the cops. I did my best to give them a report of what happened, but since he was on my property, and they’d gotten a lot from the emergency call, they didn’t feel the need to haul me in. The words “my daughter” were spiraling through my head. She was my daughter, too.
“We’ll have you come down tomorrow and fill out a formal report; is that okay?” the officer asked, giving me a concerning look.
I knew he was feeling pity for me about Alyssa, maybe even carrying the same disappointment. It was a small town; word would travel fast.
My night was ruined. The cops took Bruce away, and soon a tow truck came to pick up his truck. I was furious. This was supposed to be the night I created my future, not ruined it.
I grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the top cabinet, my dad’s stashing spot. I sat at the table, poured a glass, and downed it, then another, and another. I was determined to get drunk, to forget all about my pain. I would drink until I was numb. That was the plan.
Aiden walked through my front door with a concerned look on his face. Great.
“Holly call you?” I snapped.
“No, Alyssa did,” he said, taking a seat at the table across from me.
“I’m not in the mood for another lecture,” I groaned, pouring more whiskey into my glass.
My head was pounding, my blood boiling, and no matter how much I drank, I couldn’t seem to drown this pain.
“I’m not here to lecture. I just want to know what happened.”
“You wanna know what happened? That piece of shit showed up here, taunted me, provoked me, and lunged at me, so I took him down with a leg sweep. I didn’t beat him like I wanted to, I didn’t even punch his stupid face one fuckin’ time,” I scoffed.
“He came here?” Aiden asked.
“Yes,” I held my glass up like I was toasting.
Aiden grabbed a glass, filled it with the whiskey, and took a shot.
“Alyssa made it sound like you went after Bruce. I’m confused now, really confused,” Aiden leaned back in his chair.
I was already drunk, unable to think straight, but I was certain he told me Alyssa was having doubts because I was a soldier. It was bullshit.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Alyssa
Aiden’s truck pulled up to my house, his headlights blasting through my window. I walked out onto my porch, anxious to find out if Liam was okay.
He looked angry as he climbed out of his truck, slamming the door so loud it echoed through the street. His eyes glared into mine as he neared me, finally stopping at my porch steps.
“How’s Liam?” I asked anxiously.
“You’ve got some nerve,” he scolded.
“Me?” I asked, confused why he appeared to be angry with me. I hadn’t done anything. It was Liam who got into a fight.
“Liam was defending himself—against your ex. Why on earth would you leave him there like that? Just walk away?” he scoffed.
“I don’t like violence. Holly doesn’t need to be around that,” I insisted.
Aiden laughed, but not a pleasant laugh. He was angry. That was evident.
“Holly needs to be around someone who’ll protect her, and that’s her dad. You can’t expect Liam to let Bruce hit him, can you?” Aiden roared.
“He could’ve stayed inside,” I insisted.
“Yeah, right. He’s a man, not a pussy. He came outside because he thought it was you and Holly; he didn’t come out there to fight,” Aiden growled.
My heart sank deep into my chest. I felt horrible. Aiden was right. I was acting foolish.
“I’m just scared,” I admitted.
“You’ve strung him along. He loves you and Holly, and taking this away from him now, it’s just cruel,” Aiden scorned.
“He could leave us, and how cruel would that be?” I snapped.
“Where is he going?” Aiden snapped right back.
“I don’t know. He’s a soldier; he could get called back in for service. He could get bored of the small town, and there are plenty of places he could go and reasons for it,” I cried.
“He has two reasons to stay right here, or at least he did until earlier tonight. He’s retired from the military, he’s not going back, and he has a job here. You need to decide what you want. It isn’t fair to continue stringing him along,” Aiden lectured.
“I’m sorry,” I sobbed, dropping to sit on the porch step.
Aiden sat down beside me, his arm around my shoulder.
“I stopped at the police station. I heard the emergency call. Liam did everything right,” he sighed.
“I did everything wrong,” I sulked.
“I don’t mean to be harsh, but yes, you did. You really messed up a good night, probably one of the best nights of your life,” he growled.
I looked up at him, confused by what he meant. Best night of my life?
My stomach churned at the thought of hurting Liam. Why was I so afraid of him leaving that I would push him away?
“You need to make this right or let him go,” Aiden sighed and then got up from the step.
I watched him walk away, not looking back. He got into his truck, the headlights blasted into my eyes, and he pulled
out.
Holly was sleeping, so I couldn’t leave, but I needed to go to him, to tell him I was sorry.
I picked up my phone, called my mom, and asked her to come over. She was just as disappointed in my behavior as Liam was, and I knew Holly had to feel the same way. I needed to make this right.
Maria had her hand on her hip, her lips tightened into a thin line, and her eyes darkened with anger as I left the house.
I drove to Liam, who I found passed out at the kitchen table. The smell of whiskey was strong, and the bottle nearly empty.
“Liam,” I called to him, trying to wake him from the drunken stupor he’d put himself into.
“Alyssa,” he slurred, one eye opening, but then closing again.
I pulled him to his feet, his weight too much for me to hold, and we both fell to the floor. His eyes opened, and his hand reached towards me, stroking the hair from my face.
“Are you okay?” he slurred.
Even now, he worried about me.
“Yes,” I said softly, stroking his cheek with the palm of my hand.
He fell back asleep. I stayed there, in his arms on the kitchen floor, remorseful, foolish, and hopeful that he’d forgive me.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Liam
My head was pounding, and it hurt to open my eyes. Alyssa was curled into my arms asleep. I looked around the room, realizing we were on the kitchen floor, with no idea how we’d gotten there. I lifted my hand, stroking her hair from her cheek. She opened her eyes, staring into mine with a strange concern.
How did she get here, and when? What happened?
“Why are we on the floor?” I asked softly.
“I couldn’t get you to bed,” she smiled.
“So, you were trying to take advantage of me while drunk?” I teased.
She laughed. Oh God, that laugh. It warmed my heart to see her smile, to hear her laughter.
“So, we’re okay?” I questioned carefully.
She nodded.
“I’m so sorry I acted the way I did. I was scared, and all I could think about was you leaving,” she mumbled.
“I’m not going anywhere. I promised, and I’m a man of my word,” I informed her.
It hurt to talk.
I had to get off this floor. I couldn’t imagine the pain Alyssa had to be in, sleeping on this hard floor so soon after surgery.
“Let’s get you up,” I said, sliding up from the floor.
I extended my hand, helping Alyssa to her feet, and pulled her into my arms. She looked so fragile, so worried.
“I love you,” I leaned in, kissing the tip of her nose.
Tears fell from her eyes as she melted into my arms.
“I love you, too,” she sobbed.
We stood there, holding each other in the kitchen for what felt like an eternity. I wouldn’t have had let her go, probably ever, if Aiden hadn’t walked through my front door. He had a wide smile, and his eyes moved to Alyssa with an approving gleam. Whatever happened last night, however Alyssa got here, I had a strong feeling I had Aiden to thank.
“We have to get you to the station,” Aiden informed.
Alyssa nodded, pulling from my arms. I quickly slid on a new shit, brushed my teeth, and followed them out my front door.
“I’ll meet you there. I have to go home and check on Holly,” Alyssa stated and then gave me a quick hug.
She leaned in, hugging Aiden, and whispering something in his ear that I couldn’t hear before she moved to her car.
“What happened last night?” I asked once I was alone with Aiden in his truck.
“She freaked out, something about you leaving, you being a soldier, and going back to the military,” he grumbled.
It was clear he’d been irritated with her. “She has a right to be scared,” I sighed, hoping to calm Aiden’s irritation.
“You still think it’s the right time to propose?” Aiden asked.
“I do, but my plans got derailed pretty good,” I groaned.
“The carnival is still going on tonight,” he smiled.
I nodded and then leaned back against the leather of the truck seat, trying to ease my headache as we drove to the police station.
The officers were friendly, even joking about how I laid the drunken fool out on his back. I was glad they got it out of their system before Alyssa walked into the station with Holly by her side.
“So what exactly happened?” one officer asked as he readied his pen on the pad of paper in front of him.
It was nice to have the ability to account for my actions with Alyssa by my side, hearing everything. I knew I wasn’t in the wrong, but it was important to me that she and Holly knew it as well.
“Bruce is still in holding, and we plan to keep him there until court Monday, no bail,” the officer grinned.
“Have you had any issues with him in the past?” the other officer asked.
I nodded, telling them about the time in the parking lot of Alyssa’s work.
“So, he’s been stalking you, ma’am?” the officer asked Alyssa.
She was silent for a moment as if she were contemplating her actions. Finally, she took a deep breath and told the officers how he’d called continuously, showed up at her work after she blocked him, and even outside of her house on several occasions. I hadn’t been aware of how determined this man was to win Alyssa back, but I could see why. She was perfect.
The police department filed a formal complaint on behalf myself and Alyssa. Bruce would face the judge Monday morning and would be ordered to stay away from our family. It was the first time anyone referred to us as a family. It felt amazing, even under the circumstances.
Holly wrapped her arms around me and kissed my cheek as I leaned down to her.
“You still gonna do it?” she whispered.
I nodded, creating a large smile on her pretty face.
We walked out of the police station hand in hand. I rode back to my house with Aiden, letting Alyssa take Holly home.
As Aiden pulled into my drive, he pulled out the small velvet box from his jacket, pushing it towards me.
“Keep it,” I told him with a smile and slid from the truck.
“See ya tonight,” he beamed, waving as he left me in the driveway.
Bill walked out of his house, and I waved to him as he made his over to me.
“Things got pretty wild last night,” he commented.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. That was an understatement.
“I talked to the cops this morning,” he informed me.
I looked confused.
“This wasn’t the first time Bruce had been over here,” he admitted.
“Really?” I questioned, wondering why he wouldn’t have told me.
“I didn’t say anything before because, honestly, I thought he’d just give up. I wanted you to go through with your plans first, get that yes. I didn’t want him messing anything up, and I didn’t want you going after him,” he explained.
“After seeing how Alyssa reacted to me defending myself, I have to thank you. If I had known he was hanging around here, I would’ve gone after him,” I confessed.
“Oh, I know you would’ve. Any many would’ve,” he grinned.
I patted him on the back and walked into my house. I cleaned up the mess in the kitchen from where I’d drank and apparently had fallen to the floor with Alyssa in my arms.
After a quick shower, I drove to Alyssa’s, picking the girls up for a late breakfast.
Holly gushed about the carnival, ready to wear her costume, one that I hadn’t got to see yet—a secret.
“We’ll have a blast tonight: I promise,” I smiled across the diner’s booth.
People were staring, some gawking, and I knew it was because they heard about the fight with Bruce.
I watched Alyssa, worried that it was making her uncomfortable, that somehow it would change how she felt about me, about us.
The waitress brought our food, and Holly immediately started to dig into
her pancakes. Alyssa seemed nervous, anxious, and maybe even a little bit angry. Her fists clenched together, and her eyes scanned the room. Tables were filled with busybodies, nosy townspeople who were whispering under their breath, and it was obvious she knew it was about us.
She stood from her seat, sending a warning glare to everyone in the diner.
“I’m tired of you people staring, whispering, acting like you know something when you don’t know shit,” she yelled.
I reached for her hand, trying to pull her back to her seat, but was unsuccessful. She was on a roll, and there was no stopping her.
“Our lives are none of your business. You have enough to keep you busy with your own lives, don’t ya?” she glared directly at a redheaded woman in the booth behind us.
“I love this man, and he loves me. He’s Holly’s father, although I’m sure most of you know that. He didn’t leave us; he went into the military. I didn’t tell him I was pregnant because I didn’t feel it was fair to him, and as soon as he found out, he’s been nothing but amazing to our daughter. There’s no gossip here, and even with the Bruce issue, that was nothing, a simple incident where a foolish man tried to come between a good man and his family. Go back to your own lives, and leave ours alone,” she demanded and then sat back down.
The diner was silent, and everyone stared in our direction, their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide. I started laughing uncontrollably, and then Holly joined in. Before long, Alyssa was laughing too, and the people in the diner all continued their meals, no longer staring at us or whispering.
I loved it. I loved her.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” I laughed.
Her cheeks blushed as she rolled her eyes in embarrassment.
I wasn’t embarrassed. I was proud, proud to be a part of her life, and ready to expand my role.
Chapter Forty
Alyssa
My brother Jason would’ve been forty today, a milestone in life, had he gotten to live it. The day was bittersweet. The carnival was going strong, and even though I didn’t make it the night before, the church reported a huge profit to go towards repairs needed, and possibly enough left over for a kid’s camp in the summer if tonight proved to be just as successful.
